Karma
by GCGirl4Life
Summary: Sometimes life's a bitch. I learned that the hard way. I'm Bella Swan, and this is my story.
1. Chapter 1

Sometimes life's a bitch. I learned that the hard way.

It all started in high school. I met the Cullen and Hale families my junior year of high school, after I moved in with my Dad. My Dad was the former police chief, and the now Mayor of Forks, Washington. He didn't originally want the job, but it was insisted upon, and he eventually agreed. It did come with a nicer house and more benefits after all. The only thing he liked about it was that he was able to make more money, which he wanted to all go towards my future - college, wedding, anything. But the Cullens; Edward Cullen and his twin sister, Alice, were in my grade, and they had an older brother, Emmett, who was a senior. Alice was dating Emmett's best friend, Jasper Hale, and Emmett was dating Jasper's older sister, Rosalie. Edward was in my biology class, and he also saved me from a nasty fall in the cafeteria one day. Ever since that day, he and I were inseparable; he invited me to have lunch with him and his family and friends over by the window, and introduced me to everyone, minus Rosalie, who'd graduated last year. But I quickly met her once Edward and I started dating, and he invited me over for dinner. I then met his parents, Carlisle, who was the head doctor at the town hospital, and Esme, a nurse there. They all took a liking to me, and Edward and I dated into senior year.

I was invited to Rosalie and Emmett's wedding, which took place over spring break, where Alice and I were both bridesmaids. Jasper proposed to Alice, and she of course said yes, squealing and jumping all over him. As senior year came to a close, Jasper enlisted in the Army, so Alice and him did a quick courthouse wedding before he left for bootcamp. At our graduation party that spring, Edward proposed to me in front of all our friends and family. I was hesitant to be such a young bride, but I loved Edward, so in the end, I said yes, but only if he let us have a long engagement, which he agreed upon.

It was the night before our wedding, two years after high school graduation, and Edward was going out for his Bachelor Party with Emmett and Jasper, who was on leave for the wedding. I was going to move into his parent's guest house with him after the wedding, so I was at my dad's house for the time being.

"Have fun, okay? And don't do anything stupid," I teased Edward on the phone.

"I won't, love," he laughed quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow at the altar?"

"For sure," I smiled.

"Can't wait. I love you, Bella," he said.

"I love you too, Edward." I hung up and went back to typing up my research paper that was due next week. I had to turn it in by tonight, though, since Edward and I were leaving for our honeymoon shortly after the wedding. As I typed away, I thought a lot about the upcoming wedding. I was going to be a twenty year old bride. I hadn't wanted to get married so early on in life, but Edward insisted that we get married as soon as possible. So here we were, getting ready to walk to the altar. All my friends and family were going to be there, and it was going to be beautiful and fun. So why didn't I feel as excited as I should?

I finally saved my research paper and submitted it via email to my professor, then checked Facebook. And then I saw why I wasn't excited.

On my News Feed was a picture of Jacob Black, my childhood best friend, out at a dance club, with his best friends, Embry, Quil, Paul, Sam, and Seth. I smiled sadly at the photo. He looked so happy, and I couldn't blame him. The week I had started dating Edward, he confessed to me that he had a huge crush on me. He was fifteen at the time, so I hadn't really seen him as an option, considering the fact that he and I had only hung out that summer when I got there, and I was two years older than him. But the way he looked at me, the way he looked so sad and heartbroken when I'd said no, I couldn't, broke my heart just a little. He was sweet and loving, but I couldn't just drop Edward like that, especially since our relationship had just started. As time went on, Jacob grew taller, more muscular, and if possible, more handsome. I wished sometimes that I could take it all back, but I was happy with Edward, and Jacob was just the one who got away.

Suddenly, my phone rang out in the silence, causing me to jump and scream. Once I realized it was just my phone, I grabbed it off the table and looked at the caller ID: Jacob. Speak of the devil…

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bells, it's me," Jacob said. He was breathing a little heavily, as if he'd just gotten off the dancefloor and was out of breath. "Um, listen, can I come over? I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure," I said, a little puzzled. "Just text me when you're at the gate, I'll buzz you in."

"Okay, I'll see you in about fifteen minutes." He hung up, as did I. I wondered what he wanted to talk about. Apparently it was so important he was leaving the club he and his friends were at. I changed into flannel pj bottoms and a tank top, put my hair in a ponytail, and threw away my dinner trash. I sat on the couch, watching tv, until my phone dinged with a text from Jacob.

"Here."

I got up and went to the door, and hit the "Allow Entry" key on the security panel. I opened and unlocked the door, and watched Jacob's car pull up the driveway. Same old, red Rabbit he'd had since he turned sixteen. He got out after a minute, and kicked the door shut with the back of his shoe. He was dressed in a dark dress shirt, jeans, and a leather jacket.

"Hey Bells," he said quietly. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," I said, opening the door wider and allowing him to step inside. Once he did, I closed and locked the door, and lead him to the kitchen. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Uh, water, I guess," he said, sitting down at the small table we had in the kitchen for dinners that were just Dad and I. I grabbed two cups out of the cabinet and filled them from the water spout in the fridge, then handed Jacob one. He took a small sip, then set the glass down and started chewing on his lip. If I knew my best friend, I knew that was the sign he was nervous about something.

"Jake, what's going on?" I asked seriously, my cup between my hands.

"Bells…" he started. He took a deep breath. "Edward's cheating on you." My mouth dropped in shock, but I quickly closed it as I started thinking.

"Do you have any proof?" I asked him, taking a sip of my water. He laughed quietly.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me," he said softly.

"Jake, it's not that…" I started, but he cut me off.

"No, Bella, it is, and I can understand why," he said, reaching across the table to take my hand. "You've been with the guy since you were sixteen, and he's never given you a reason to doubt him before. But," he sighed, and took another deep breath. "Listen, the guys and I were at the club in Port Angeles tonight, and I saw Edward come in with Jasper and Emmett. He didn't see me, but he ended up sitting behind us in the next booth, back in the corner away from the noise. The guys went to go dance with some girls, but Seth and I were still sitting at the table. I heard your name from behind us, and I tried to peer over, but I thought I'd get caught, so I took out my phone to record what they were saying. And, well, just listen." He took out his cell phone, tapped a couple buttons, and then set it on the table.

"You're really gonna go through with this Ed?" Emmett asked.

"Shit yeah I am," Edward said, laughing a little. "You know how much money that bitch has got?" Wait, did he say _bitch_?

"A lot?" Jasper asked.

"A truck load of money," Edward said. "Ever since she set foot in that school, I knew I had to lock her down. Her dad's the damn mayor of the city. He gives her at least half the money he makes for college and shit, and she barely uses any of it. The way I see it, I'll marry the bitch, stick around for a year or two, then divorce her dumb ass and take the money while I'm at it. She already said when we get married she wants a joint bank account, so I'll just clean the account out and leave, and mail her the divorce papers once I'm gone." I heard him take a sip of whatever he was drinking, then set the glass down.

"Wish I'd thought of that one! Bella won't know what's coming to her, she's so clueless." Emmett laughed. Jasper and Edward joined in on the laughter, and I tasted bile in my mouth.

"Whoa, shit, Jessica Stanley just came in," Edward said, a husky sound to his voice. "And she is wearing the shortest skirt and tightest shirt I've ever seen."

"You think those boobs are real?" Jasper laughed.

"Hell yeah! They're definitely bigger than Bella's tits, that's for sure." I gasped and covered my mouth. I heard a bottle slam on the table. "I'll be back, boys. I'm gonna go get under that skirt and into those panties if it's the last thing I do tonight." I heard Emmett and Jasper mutter approval, and footsteps walk away. The recording ended, and I looked from the phone to Jake.

"Bella, I don't want to add fuel to the fire, or whatever the hell they say," he said, picking up his phone, but I found them dancing on the dance floor, and I took a couple pictures." He handed me the phone, and I gasped again as I looked at the pictures.

Gyrating on Edward's leg was Jessica, the biggest slut in our high school. Edward had his hands on her hips, and his teeth gouged in his lip. I scrolled through, and they just got worse. There was one of them kissing, one of him biting her neck, one of her back to his front and him fondling her breasts, and the last one, his hand was down her skirt and her head was thrown back on his shoulder.

"After that last picture, they disappeared into the bathroom," Jake said quietly. He clicked a few buttons, and played another recording. I heard moaning and groaning, and Jessica sigh.

"Oh, _Edward_," she cried.

"Damn, Jessica," Edward grunted. "You feel _so _good." Jacob took his phone back, and I stared at the spot where it had been laying.

"Bella, you okay?" Jacob asked in a low voice. And that's when I screamed. I screamed at the top of my lungs and threw my water glass against the wall, it shattering to a million pieces.

"That _little_, _insignificant, cheating piece of shit!_" I cried, getting to my feet and storming around the kitchen.

"Bells, calm down," Jake said, rushing over to me and turning me around with his hands.

"Calm down? _Calm down?_" I shrieked. "That piece of shit thing I call a fiance just admitted that he wants to take all my money _and _fucked the school slut in the bathroom of some sleazy club! How dare he! _How dare he_!" I collapsed into Jacob's chest, and began sobbing. I cried and cried for what felt like hours, and Jacob just stood there and held me, rubbing soothing circles on my lower back with his warm hands. When I finally managed to catch my breath, I sighed and looked up at Jacob.

"I'm so stupid," I croaked.

"Don't say that, Bella," he said soothingly, wiping a stray tear with his thumb.

"I am, though, Jake," I said quietly. "How could I have ever been so stupid to fall for his game? He was too perfect, I thought it was too good to be true. But he picked me, and I thought for once things were falling into place. But I was wrong."

"Bella, honey," he said, looking into my eyes. "Sometimes, we make mistakes. It's a part of life. But you know what else is a part of life?"

"What?"

"Revenge," he smiled. I looked at him, confused, until I realized what he meant.

"Oh, Jake, I couldn't!"

"Yes, you can, and you will, Bella," he said defiantly. "That son of a bitch just played and cheated on my best friend, the most beautiful girl in the world, and the mayor of Forks' daughter. He deserves to pay for what he did, and I'm going to help you get that asshole back."

"How though Jacob? He humiliated me big time? How in the hell am I gonna get him back just as bad?"

"Oh, you forget who you're dealing with, Bella," he grinned cockily. "I have a plan."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, I cancelled all the vendors, and when they asked why, I explained the situation, but told them not to tell Edward or any of the Cullen/Hale family what was going on. And I slipped one hundred bucks to each of them just to make sure.

Seth and Edward had always gotten along, so I texted Edward that the ceremony musician cancelled last minute and Seth said he'd fill in for free, which there were no objections to.

The girls, which was Rosalie, Alice, and I, were getting ready in the bridal room at the church when my phone dinged.

_Gave Seth everything he needs. All set to go ;) -J_

I smiled and hit 'reply.'

_Thanks, I'll see you later. -B_

"Who are you texting, Bella?" Alice asked as she applied mascara in the mirror.

"Just Jacob," I said dismissively. She nodded but said nothing further, so I silently sighed a sigh of relief. We spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready, and by four o'clock, I could hear the guests coming in.

"You ready, Bella?" Rosalie asked excitedly.

"Oh, definitely," I lied, smiling at her. She and Alice squealed in delight, and I turned around so they wouldn't see me rolling my eyes. If only they knew…

There was knock at the door, and my dad poked his head in.

"Hey, everyone's settled in. You girls ready?" he asked.

"Yup, all set," I told him. He smiled at me and nodded. Rosalie and Alice grabbed their bouquets and went out the door, and then I followed my dad. The ushers let Rosalie and Alice in first, then closed the doors and waited for the bridal march to play before they opened the door. As my dad and I waited, I whispered in his ear.

"Dad, I'm going to do something once we get up to the altar, and I need your support one hundred percent, okay? Don't say anything, just nod or shake your head." He looked down at me, but finally nodded. I smiled and kissed his cheek just as I heard the start of the song play through the speakers. The doors opened, and I heard everyone stand up. As cameras started flashing, my dad and I took our slow steps down the aisle. I looked ahead at Edward, who was smiling at me.

_Bastard _I thought to myself. Finally, we reached the altar, and my dad handed me off to Edward. I let the pastor talk, and once he instructed me to start my vows, I knew it was time to take the plunge.

"Edward," I started, looking down at the piece of paper I had hidden in the pocket of my dress. "We've been through a lot together. And today, I can't believe we're here. And I want everyone to know exactly what kind of person you are." I turned and nodded to Seth, who winked and turned the projector on, displaying the first set of pictures of Edward and Jessica. The crowd gasped, and Edward turned to look, then did a double take when he saw what it was. He looked at me, angry and confused, but I continued.

"Last night, a friend of mine was at the same club you were at, and heard and saw you do things I didn't believe at first. But once they showed me the pictures, and played me the recordings they took of you, Emmett, and Jasper," I looked up at them both, and they both looked scared as hell. "I knew I was getting into the wrong marriage. Seth, please play the first recording."

"Seth, don't you dare!" Edward cried, stepping over to him. But my dad, bless his heart, stood up and blocked his path.

"You made this bed, Cullen, now lay in it!" he growled. Edward grumbled under his breath, but turned to the screen. The audio of the first recording was now playing, still flashing the pictures of him and Jessica. When my dad heard him say he was going to take our money, I don't think I've ever seen his face more red. And when he started talking about getting in Jessica' skirt, I was proven wrong - his face got even redder.

"But you didn't stop there, Edward," I said coldly, looking straight at him. "Seth, play the last one." Seth clicked on his laptop, and the audio of Edward and Jessica moaning and groaning played over the loudspeakers. After a minute, I nodded to Seth to turn it off. Then I looked at Edward, who was glaring at me and Seth.

"If you thought for one second after hearing and seeing what I did that I was going to go through with this, you were wrong," I said loudly but defiantly. "You are not going to marry me, you are not going to leave me in a few years, you are not going to take my money, and you are not going to humiliate me any longer. Everyone in this town will know what you did, and you will never, _ever _get a girl again - unless of course it's Jessica," I said with a laugh. I gestured to the door I had just walked through, and Edward turned to see Jacob and Sam standing there with video cameras. I gestured then to the side doors, and more members of Jacob's gang of friends appeared, holding video cameras. "Edward Cullen, you and I," I said as I took off my ring. "Are done." I threw it on the ground and stepped on it, and heard the crunch as the diamond snapped off. "And you're done in this town." I flipped him off and turned to the crowd. "I'm sorry you all wasted your time coming here today. But as a thank you for making the trip, and also an apology for having to sit through this, my father and I will be sending each of you a gift basket. You are also invited to join us for a small party at our house, unless you are a direct member of the Cullen or Hale family." I glared at Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Alice, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme, who were all standing next to Edward now, furious and shocked looks on their faces. "You are allowed to leave anytime you wish." As I began the walk back down the aisle, Edward grabbed my wrist.

"Bella, don't you dare walk out of this church," he growled at me, yanking me back. "You are going to marry me, and you are…"

"I suggest you take your hands off my daughter before I have the chief of police come up here and arrest you, Cullen," my dad said sternly. "May I remind you he is here as a guest of ours." Edward fumed, but finally let go of my wrist and stalked to the back of the church where the guys got ready. As he left, the guests applauded, and I could hear a few shouts of "Good riddance!" "You tell him, Bella!" I smiled and hammed it up a bit, curtsying and bowing, which they laughed at. Once I reached the back where Sam and Jacob were, Jacob leaned down and hugged me.

"Good job, Bells," he laughed. "He never saw that coming."

"None of them did," Sam laughed.

"I'll be right out, Dad," I told him as he came up behind me. "Jake, will you help me get this damn thing off please?"

"Of course," he smiled and followed me to the bridal room, and closed the door behind us.

"I can't believe that worked," I said, flinging my shoes off and removing my jewelry.

"I know, right?" Jacob laughed lightly. "But now, you're rid of him, and everyone in town will know not to mess with you."

"Bella the Bad-Ass," I winked at him. He laughed even louder, and I turned around, holding up my hair. "Will you unzip me please?"

"Um, uh, sure," I heard him stutter. He walked over, and I felt his hands on my back, one on my hip and the other at the base of my neck, slowly tugging the zipper down. I could feel the static in the air and my face get hotter - _what was going on? _As Jacob's warm hand brushed the small of my back as he got the last of the zipper down, I realized what it was: Jacob was making me feel this way.

"Um, thanks, Jake," I said quickly. "I'm just gonna go change in the bathroom." I grabbed my clothes off the floor and ran into the bathroom, still trying to keep my dress on. As I slipped out of the dress and put my jeans and blouse back on, I thought about everything that just happened.

I was rid of Edward now, and I'd always considered Jacob the one who'd gotten away. This meant I could be with him now, right? I looked at myself in the mirror, and my cheeks were flushed. I turned the sink on and splashed my face with cold water.

_No, no I can't_ I thought to myself as I dried my facel. _It's too soon. They'll all think I was cheating on Edward too._ I shook my head and brushed my hair, then picked up my dress and things and walked back out. Jacob was sitting on the small sofa, and stood up when I came out.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, just let me grab the garment bag," I said. I put the dress in the bag, then turned to the door and had Jacob follow me out. I got in the car with my dad, and he and I drove home, Jacob, his friends, and our guests following us. I called the caterer on the way, and he agreed to come over and cook for the party. I gave him the gate code since he was closer to the house than us. Just as I hung up, Jacob texted me.

_You ok? -Jacob_

I smiled softly and hit 'reply.'

_Yeah, I'm fine. Just still letting it sink in I guess. -Bella_

Once we got to the house, I went inside to find Chef Michael, our caterer, already hard at work.

"Thank you so much for coming on such short notice," I told him, smiling at him.

"No problem, Bella," he said with a grin, stirring the sauce on the stove. "I'm almost done with the sauce for the meatballs, but I do have some pigs 'n a blanket ready." He pointed to the side counter, where a plate of steaming hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls was sitting. I thanked him again and grabbed the plate to put in the dining room.

Guests started milling in, and Jacob and the gang were the last ones in. He found me in the crowd and smiled, weaving his way through towards me.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

"So, I got you something, I was going to bring it over after your wedding, but since that's not happening now," he said quickly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, rectangular box. He handed it to me, then shoved his hands in his jean pockets. "I hope you like it." I took the lid off and lifted the cotton, and gasped.

Inside was a beautiful silver charm bracelet. It had several charms on it, and when I lifted it, I realized they all represented something about Jacob and me. There was a seashell charm for all the times we went to the beach, a log charm for where we sat on the beach, a football because he played that in high school and I went to his games when I could, a book because I loved to read, and a wooden wolf charm because that was our favorite animal.

"Did you make the wolf?" I asked him, touching it with my fingers. He nodded and grinned a half grin. "Jacob, this is beautiful. It's the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me." I smiled at him and clutched the bracelet in my hand. "Thank you."

"No problem, Bells," he smiled and leaned down to hug me. I hugged him back, and as he pulled back, he softly kissed my cheek. I looked up into his eyes as he pulled farther back, and he looked back.

"Um, I'm gonna go check on Chef Michael." I quickly turned away and ran into the kitchen. I stayed in there for a while, making sure I gave Jacob enough time to mill around the party and get away from me.

As I sat at the counter, drinking a glass of water, I thought it all over. I couldn't do this with Jake, not now, not so soon. Knowing Edward, if he found out, he'd slander our names all over town, hell, the state, and I didn't want to ruin anything for Jacob.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked up to see Chef Michael staring down at me, a concerned look on his face.

"You okay, hun?" he asked me quietly. I looked around and saw that most of the guests had filtered out of the kitchen.

"Not really," I said quietly, sloshing the ice around in my water.

"Wanna talk about it?" He sat down on the barstool next me.

"It's just…" I sighed and took a deep breath. "You know my best friend, Jake? The one Edward didn't want invited to the wedding?"

"Yeah, I remember," Chef Michael laughed, shaking his head. "Tall, tan, and handsome pretty much right?"

"Yeah," I said quickly, blushing slightly. "The thing is, I've always seen Jake as the one who got away, and now that Edward's out of the picture, it seems like it could be my chance. But I don't want Edward to catch wind of it. He'd trash Jacob's name all over town, saying how he stole me from him or something crazy like that. I don't want to ruin anything for Jacob; Edward has so much influence, with his dad being the head doctor at Forks Hospital and all. He could make up something to get Jacob kicked out of any college in the state. I just…" I bit my lip as I felt tears prick my eyes. "I just don't want him to get hurt because...of me." Chef Michael squeezed my shoulder, and I looked up at him through my lashes.

"Bella, honey," he said soothingly. "I saw you two out there in the living room, and that boy adores you. He gave you a charm bracelet about the two of you for God's sake. That's a classic boyfriend gift, and since he's not your boyfriend, that's a boy-in-love-with-you gift." I smiled softly, and he smiled back. "As for fuck-ward, who cares what the hell he thinks? If it bothers you so much, make a public statement. I'm sure the town papers will be reporting on your scandalous ex, so if it makes you feel better, give them an interview with you, and you can tell them about Jacob, and how he didn't steal you away, that Edward pushed you away all on his own." I thought it all over in my head. It wasn't too bad of a plan actually. All I'd have to do would be call the papers, ask if they were running a story on the wedding, and if they were, I'd give them an interview with me. I could tell them all about Edward, and Jacob, and it'd become public record.

"Alright, I'll do it," I said, nodding at Chef Michael. He smiled and gave me an affectionate squeeze.

"Good girl, Bella," he said. "I'm proud of you."

Around ten o'clock, my dad and I thanked the guests for coming and apologized yet again for the events of the day, and wished them all a safe journey home. After the last guest filtered out, I texted Jacob, since I didn't see him.

_Where are you? I didn't see you leave. -B_

After a minute, once I was changed and in bed, my phone dinged.

_Dad texted me in the middle of the party, needed help finding his meds, so I had to cut out early. I'm sorry :-( -J._

I smiled softly and texted him back.

_It's okay. I was in the kitchen for a while talking to Chef Michael. I'm calling the papers tomorrow to do an interview about the wedding. Do you want to come with me? -B._

_Sure. Just let me know what time. -J_

_Okay, I will. I'm gonna head to bed. Night Jake. -B._

_Night Bells. -J._


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, we'd be _thrilled _to run a feature on your wedding, Bella!" the paper reporter told me over the phone the next morning. I'd called the Forks Times first thing when I woke up, and they were ecstatic to run a story, but also offered their sympathy towards the situation. _Guess word travels fast around town._

"Ok, well, I was going to call the News as well, and my friend Jacob will be here as well, he's the one who saw Edward at the club, so do you just want to meet at my house this afternoon? You can run the article, and they'll run the special on TV?"

"Oh, yes, that will be fine," she told me. "I don't remember if I told you, but my name is Cathy Richards, so I will be the one doing the report. What time would you like us there?"

"Does one sound good?"

"Sounds perfect. I'll see you then, Bella," Cathy said.

"See you then." I hung up, then called the News station, and they agreed to be there as well. Then I dialed Jake, and as I hit 'call,' I noticed a million little butterflies jumped into my stomach.

"Hey Bella," Jake answered. My stomach did a backflip at the sound of his voice.

"Hey Jake," I smiled into the phone. "The News and paper will be here at one. Can you make that?"

"I most certainly can," he laughed lightly. I couldn't help but laugh too, his laugh was so infectious. "What should I wear?"

"Just a nice shirt and clean jeans should be okay," I told him.

"Alright, well, I'll be there at 12:45, sound good?"

"Sounds great. I'll see you then."

"Awesome. Later Bella."

"Bye Jake." I hung up, and sat there staring at my phone for a minute. Now that this ball was rolling, I was so nervous about the outcome. But there wasn't anything I could do about it until it happened, so I made myself busy and went to take a shower. I let my mind wander as I scrubbed my hair and body.

Jake and I had been through a lot together. We were best friends when we were little, and rekindled when I moved back my junior year of high school. I went to his football games, despite Edward's protests, and he came to visit me at work whenever possible, especially when he needed something from the store. We helped out at each other's houses whenever needed, and our dads were like best friends, and second fathers to us. We were best friends, and he always looked out for me no matter what. He'd never let me get hurt, and I'd do the same for him.

"He'd never hurt me either," I said to myself as I looked in the mirror, drying my hair with the towel. I checked the time, and saw it was 12:00. _Shit! _I thought as I raced into my room. _I spent more time in the shower than I thought._ I quickly picked out a nice blouse and pants, and made quick work of getting dressed. Then I dried my hair in the bathroom with my hair dryer, and put on a small amount of makeup. As I ran a brush through my hair, the doorbell rang. I quickly ran downstairs and opened the door, brush still in hand, to find Jacob standing there.

"Hey Jake," I smiled, hugging him tightly. I could smell his cologne on his neck, and it made my knees shake a little. I pulled back and smiled before leading him into the house. "You look nice."

"As do you," he replied, closing the door behind himself. He followed me upstairs to my room and sat on one of my armchairs as I ran into the bathroom to finish my hair and apply perfume. "What time are the reporters getting here?"

"1 o'clock," I said as I came out of the bathroom. "So they should be here any minute. Wanna go downstairs and check with me?" He nodded, and we walked back downstairs. Just as we reached the bottom, the doorbell rang again. I opened it to find a blonde woman in a similar outfit to mine, and a nice looking older gentleman in a suit with a camera man behind him.

"Bella Swan?" the woman, who I assumed was Cathy, said.

"That's me," I grinned, opening the door wider. "Please, come in." They thanked me and stepped inside, and I led them to the living room. "This is my best friend, Jacob Black."

"Oh, so you're the one who found that horrible man cheating on Bella!" Cathy exclaimed, shaking his hand. Jake smiled a little and nodded.

"Yes ma'am, I did."

"Well, we won't waste anymore time, let's get this done so it'll be on the evening news tonight," the man in the suit, who I'd learned's name was Steven. He instructed the cameraman to set up the tripod and camera, then to get the other set from the van to focus on him. Once he was all set up, he asked Jacob and I to sit on the couch next to one another, and Cathy sat with him in the armchairs next to the fireplace.

"And we're rolling," the cameraman said.

"Now, Bella, how did you meet Edward Cullen?"

"I met Edward in high school, our junior year, when he saved me from falling on my butt in the cafeteria," I replied.

"So he literally swept you off your feet?"

"You could say that, yes," I said with a small laugh.

"When did he propose to you?"

"After graduation, at our party that night."

"Why did you wait so long to get married then?"

"I didn't want to be such a young bride, so I told him yes but only if we could have a long engagement."

"I see." I looked over at Cathy, who was scribbling away in her notebook and had a tape recorder on the table running. "So, the night before the wedding came. Was that his Bachelor party?"

"Yes, he'd decided to go to his favorite club with his older brother, Emmett, and their best friend, Jasper. He told me they were just going to drink, dance with friends, and just enjoy the music."

"When did you find out that wasn't the case?"

"Well, Jacob here," I gestured to him. "Called me, and told me he needed to come over and talk to me later that night."

"Oh, so Jacob saw him," Steven said, turning his eyes towards Jacob. "Jacob, can you tell us what you saw?"

"Well, I got to the club that night with my best friends, and we were sitting in one of the booths, when Edward and his friends came in," Jacob started. "They didn't see me or my friends, but they sat behind us. We were a little ways in the back, so I could hear some of what they were saying. I heard Bella's name, and I tried to peer over, but I didn't want to get caught, so I put my phone on top of the booth to record their conversation. When I saw Edward get up and leave, I listened to the recording, and when I heard what I did, I followed him out onto the dance floor, but kept my distance so he wouldn't see me. I took pictures of him and the girl he was dancing with, and he and her were getting pretty physical. They started towards the bathroom, so I followed them, and listened outside the door, and placed my phone at the base of it so it could record what they were saying or doing. After a minute, I picked it up and played it back, and heard they were having sex."

"That must've made you pretty angry," Steven said.

"Very," Jacob said, his jaw clenched.

"Why is that?"

"Bella's my best friend," he said, placing his hand on my knee. I turned to look at him as he talked. "We've been friends since we were little kids. I wasn't going to let some cheating dirtbag get away with what he was doing to her." He looked into my eyes at the moment. "I would never, _ever _hurt her." I swallowed hard, and quickly turned back to Steven.

"Bella, how did it make you feel when Jacob showed you the pictures and recordings?"

"I was furious," I told him. "I remember, I threw my cup at the wall and it smashed into a million pieces. I was screaming and crying, I couldn't believe I'd fallen for his tricks." I looked at Jacob out of the corner of my eye. "But Jacob was there the whole time, and he calmed me down, and told me we had to get revenge on him, so he would pay and see the error of his ways."

"You two sound pretty close," Steven grinned. "Is there anything going on between you two?" I felt Jacob tense up, but I quickly shook my head.

"No, nothing at all," I told him. "In fact, Jacob had told me when he was fifteen that he had a crush on me, but I had to turn him down because I was with Edward. I was a faithful girlfriend, and fiance. I gave Edward all the love and attention I had, and he took it for granted. But I'm glad that things worked out the way they did; if I had stayed with him, I would've been in a horrible marriage, and I don't know what I would've done with myself had the outcome been what Edward had planned."

"Jacob, how did you feel about all this?"

"I was heartbroken, don't get me wrong," Jacob said. "But I was respectful, and kept my distance. I didn't want to ruin anything for Bella. If she was happy, then so was I."

"Do you still have feelings for her?" I looked at Jacob, and he was biting his lip, and blushing slightly.

"I-I-I mean, I never stopped liking her," he told Steven. "But whether Bella wants me as a best friend, or her boyfriend, I will take it. As long as I'm in her life, I'm happy."

"Bella? Any thoughts?" I took a deep breath and sighed.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Steven," I said. I could feel Jacob's eyes on me, but I refused to look. "I'd always considered Jacob as the one who got away. I was even thinking about asking him out until I fell for Edward, and by the time he'd confessed his feelings to me, I was already with Edward, and I didn't want to break a fresh relationship - I mean, I didn't know where it was going to go, so I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. But now that Edward is out of the picture, well," I looked at Jacob and smiled, who was listening to me talk, but I could see in his eyes that he was happy as hell. "We'll see where it takes us."

"Alright, well I think we've got everything we need from you two," Steven told us, gesturing for the cameraman to turn off the camera. "I just need to do a couple shots outside, but once we're done, I'll let you know we're leaving. I will need a few copies of the recordings and the pictures though, and maybe a picture of you and Edward, and one of you and Jacob when you were little."

"I'm all set, so I'll be going," Cathy said, standing up to shake my hand. "I will email you as soon as I have the article out."

"Sounds good," I smiled at her. "Thank you so much."

"No problem." She said goodbye to Jacob too, then left. I went upstairs to get Steven the necessary pictures. I found one of Jacob and I on the beach when we were little kids, building sandcastles, smiling and waving at the camera. I was six, and he was four. I smiled at the memory. Shortly after that picture was taken, he threw sand at me. I laughed quietly to myself and kept flipping through the scrapbook, looking for more pictures.

I found one of Edward and I at Rosalie and Emmett's wedding, which was nice none the less; I was wearing a blue dress, and Edward was in a nice shirt and tie. _That'll work I guess_ I thought as I took it out of its sleeve.

I flipped to the last page, and found a picture that made my heart skip a beat. Jacob and I were laying in a field by his house, the grass having grown so high, when we sat, only our heads were visible above it. I was leaning against him, laughing and running a hand through my hair, and Jacob was laughing too. That was the day he told me he liked me, and I'd sadly had to turn him down. _Perfect_ I thought, snatching it out of the book. I grabbed the pictures and headed back downstairs.

I found Jacob sitting at the island in the kitchen with Steven and his cameraman, Steven clicking away at his laptop. Jacob was hitting a few buttons on his phone.

"Alright, I think they sent," Jacob said, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"What sent?" I asked. He looked up at the sound of my voice and smiled.

"I was emailing Steven the pictures and recordings," he explained, gesturing to the computer. Steven's computer dinged all of a sudden, and he looked up, giving us a thumbs up.

"Got 'em," he grinned. He closed his laptop and put it back in its case, then slung his bag over his shoulder. "Well, it was great to meet you both," he said, shaking our hands. "I'll get this footage back to the studio as soon as I do my shots outside, and then it should be on the seven o'clock news tonight."

"Sounds great," I said, following him to the door. I opened it for him and smiled. "Thank you again for coming."

"No problem, Bella." He smiled warmly at me, nodded at Jacob, and then left, his cameraman right behind him. I closed the door and turned to Jake.

"Jake, I…" But I was cut off as Jacob slammed me against the door. "Jake what the hell?"

And that's when he kissed me.


End file.
